This publication analyses the main legal issues arising out of the use of electronic signatures and authentication methods in international transactions. It provides an overview of methods used for electronic signature and authentication and their legal treatment in various jurisdictions. The study considers the use of these methods in international transactions and identifies the main legal issues related to cross-border recognition of such methods, with a special attention to international use of digital signatures under a Public Key Infrastructure.

Draws on reports of expert meetings and workshops in 1998 and 1999 which focused on exchanges of experiences among enterprises using electronic commerce, technical and legal aspects and economic implications of electronic commerce. Includes selected examples of e-commerce activities in developing commerce.

This paper relates to the part of Canada's electronic commerce strategy that has identified the need to build trust & confidence in the global digital economy. It describes electronic authentication & certification services and provides some background on the existing framework related to cryptography policy and to electronic commerce services. The paper identifies the need to provide a co-ordinated approach to establish a framework for these services, taking into account international aspects. An important focus of the paper is on the issues associated with digital signatures in view of the predominant role played by public key cryptography in the emerging environment of electronic transactions. An approach for establishing the principles of authentication & certification services is proposed, and opportunities & challenges involved in promoting the development of an authentication services market are discussed. Appendices include a proposed framework for discussion of accreditation models.

This book identifies institutional mechanisms that can be used to promote consumer confidence in direct online sales with businesses (B2C e-commerce). It argues that enhancing the access to justice in a multidimensional sense can potentially offer an effective means of boosting consumer confidence. It introduces a conceptual framework for a multidimensional approach to access to justice in the context of consumer protection, describing the various reasonable criteria needed to satisfy consumer demands in B2C e-commerce. The framework, which reflects all essential aspects of consumers’ expectations when they engage in online transactions, provides a benchmark for the evaluation of various consumer protection mechanisms. Based on an analysis of different mechanisms and using the framework’s criteria, the practice of private ordering, which does not rely on the creation of rules of law but rather on the use of technology as a solution, appears to offer a meaningful way to enhance access to justice in B2C e-commerce. However, though private ordering holds considerable potential, certain weaknesses still need to be eliminated. This book demonstrates how private ordering can be successfully implemented with the help of an intermediary, a neutral third party that plays an integral part in the collaborative task of facilitating various aspects of private ordering, thus helping to limit the risks of failure and ensuring a fairer market setting. In order to move forward, it argues that the state, with its wealth of material resources and incentive options, is the institution best suited to acting as an intermediary in facilitating private ordering. This promising proposal can improve consumer protection, which will in turn boost consumer confidence.​